NextStop Blog

“The Gap Rap” – MTA Employee Promotes Transit Safety Through Rap

Familiar with the iconic London Underground T-shirts and female voice reminding transit riders to “Mind the Gap”? MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) now has created its own spin on rail-safety slogans:

LIRR recently released a video featuring the Agency’s Medical Director, Dr. John Clarke, sporting his physician’s white coat and rapping about “the gap.” The video shows Dr. Clarke leading a group of fifth graders from Lindell School in Long Beach to Manhattan and onto the train to the muscial refrain of “Look down, step over and watch the gap.”

The video is a part of LIRR’s push to reduce the number of accidents on the platform and to improve customer courtesy. According to Metro Magazine, so far in 2010, the LIRR has experienced a 15-percent reduction in year-to-date (January 1-July 1) reported gap incidents (2010-33 gap incidents vs. 2009-39 gap incidents).

Maybe Metro has some talented people willing to step up and perform for better transit. What kind of video would you make for Metro St. Louis riders? What safety and courtesy concerns could be addressed?